THE BUZZ: GASSED UP — Republicans in the Central Valley are knocking Rudy Salas and Adam Gray as tax-happy liberals willing to go along with whatever their party says. That’s news to Democrats who worked with them in Sacramento. “They brought me so much frustration when I was in the caucus,” said California Labor Federation head Lorena Gonzalez, who overlapped with both lawmakers in the Assembly before leaving to run the powerful labor group. After spending years acting as moderate thorns in the sides of progressive Democrats, the two former assemblymembers challenging GOP Reps. David Valadao and John Duarte are now battling narratives from their Republican opponents that they’re too liberal, highlighting votes they took in the Legislature as evidence of their left-leaning bent. In the fight for control of the House, Republicans are spending big to defend Valadao and Duarte, flooding the airwaves and lining the highways with ads highlighting their Democratic challengers’ records in the California Legislature. “Adam Gray rhymes with ‘pay,’” declares one ad from the National Republican Congressional Committee. “He votes with his party bosses instead of us,” a Valadao ad says of Salas. Those broadsides highlight the double-edged sword of being a Central Valley Democrat, or “Valleycrat.” Unlike their coastal counterparts in safe blue districts, they often find themselves stuck between the priorities of their Democratic colleagues and the views of their more moderate constituents and supporters. While it’s true Salas and Gray both took votes that arguably increased the price of gas and other goods during their stints in Sacramento, both were prominent leaders of the moderate caucus, often hindering legislative pushes from their Democratic colleagues. “We knew, those of us who served with them, that there was no way to count them as they're going to vote along with the governor, or they're going to vote along even with the caucus,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez, who is now campaigning for both Democrats in the Central Valley, famously berated Salas on the Assembly floor in 2017 during a tense, late-night push to approve a gas tax. Salas had decided to vote against the increase, throwing the chamber into chaos — and then-Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan into jeopardy. The tax proposal passed, but that vote would end up costing Salas the chairmanship of a prime committee. Gonzalez acknowledged she frequently disagreed with the two lawmakers in the Legislature, but said that they have both shown up for important workers’ rights issues. “Who thought I'd be spending this election season being a cheerleader for Adam Gray and Rudy Salas?” Gonzalez joked. There is a long tradition of Democratic leaders doling out punishments to the members who break ranks and jeopardize the caucus agenda. Then-Speaker Karen Bass once banished Assemblymember Nicole Parra to an office building across the street from the Capitol after the Hanford Democrat refused to vote for a caucus spending plan. Last year, Speaker Anthony Rendon temporarily removed Jasmeet Bains from the Business and Professions Committee after she went against the party during a debate on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s oil profits penalty. "They would take enormous shit in the caucuses from their fellow members," recalls David Townsend, a longtime moderate Democratic consultant often dubbed the "Mod Father" of Sacramento. "It's just comical that [Salas and Gray] would be attacked as being 'left.' Most of the time they were attacked for not being ‘real Democrats’." Gray, in a statement, argued that he fought against “state water grabs,” increased funding for public safety and led a bipartisan effort to suspend the gas tax. “While Duarte’s lackeys are trying to cover up his terrible record — restricting women’s rights, gutting funding for veterans and seniors, and backing a massive cut to programs for farmers and rural communities across our district — it’s clear that John can’t fool Valley voters any longer,” he said. Even if they are “two of the most conservative Democrats ever to serve in the Legislature,” as Townsend put it, Republicans say hitting Salas and Gray for votes they took in office are fair game — and an important data point for voters. “To me, it's not much different than attacking a fairly mainstream Republican for being too Trumpy, or supporting having voted for Trump,” said Republican consultant Rob Stutzman. Duane Dichiara, a consultant for the Duarte campaign, said Gray’s vote for the gas tax means Californians will pay more for basic goods. “He can say anything he wants, but that's what he did,” he said. GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? In Los Angeles County to sign legislation related to oversight of oil and gas wells.
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